The present invention relates generally to fan assemblies and more particularly to tiltable fan assemblies.
As can readily be appreciated, it is often highly desirable to alter the angular position of a fan unit relative to its associated base so that the flow of air from the fan unit may be accordingly altered to suit one's particular needs.
One type of tiltable fan assembly is disclosed in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,539 to Shao Shin-Chin, which issued Mar. 22, 1988. The fan assembly disclosed therein includes a neck joint which is mounted for tilting movement back and forth on the top of an upwardly projecting portion of a base. A fan unit is mounted on top of the neck joint for oscillating movement on the neck joint about a vertical axis. A flexible clip element which serves to selectively limit the extent of the tilting movement of the neck joint is attached to the bottom of the neck joint. The clip element has a hooked shaped tip which will strike the front wall of the upwardly projecting portion of the base when the neck joint is tilted down about 20 degrees from the horizontal axis and as a result prevents further downward tilting movement. However, by manually flexing the clip element upward away from the front wall, the neck joint can be tilted further downward so as to place the fan in a collapsed or folded position.
Another type of tiltable fan assembly is disclosed in commonly assigned, presently-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/121,933, filed Sep. 15, 1993. The fan assembly described therein includes a stand, a fan unit and a neck joint. The stand comprises a base, an extender pole mounted on the base and a mounting post mounted on the extender pole. The top of the mounting post terminates in upwardly extending bifurcated portions. The fan unit is an oscillating fan unit and includes a set of fan blades enclosed within a front grill and a rear grill, the fan blades, front grill and rear grill being collectively referred to as a fan head. The fan unit is rotatably supported on the neck joint. The bottom of the neck joint is shaped to include a rounded portion which is pivotally mounted between the bifurcated portions of the mounting post. One side of the rounded portion is shaped to include a recessed arc which extends over an angular distance of approximately 90 degrees. An annular boss mounted on the inside surface of one of the bifurcated portions limits the angular movement of the rounded portion relative to the bifurcated portions by abutting the neck joint at opposite ends of the recessed arc. When the boss abuts the neck joint at one end of the recessed arc, the fan head is positioned vertically. When the boss abuts the neck joint at the opposite end of the arc, the fan head is positioned horizontally. To secure the fan head at the aforementioned horizontal and vertical positions and at a plurality of desired locations therebetween, the fan assembly also includes a locking screw which is insertable through the mounting post and the boss and which is used to frictionally engage the arc at a desired position. Embossments are formed on the arc to prevent lateral slippage of the locking screw against the arc during tightening.
Still another type of tiltable fan assembly is exemplified by the POWER FAN.RTM. floor fan (Model No. HAOH-199) marketed by the present assignee, Holmes Products Corp. (Milford, Mass.). The aforementioned tan comprises a bracket-type stand having a pair of upwardly extending members. An annularly-shaped collar is mounted between the upwardly extending members and is adapted for tilting movement between a horizontal position and a vertical position. An oscillating fan unit is disposed within the collar, the fan unit being adapted to oscillate relative to the collar and being coupled to the collar for tilting movement.